


A Spy Never Leaves Home Without a Gun

by froochies (darling_dontworry)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Crushes, Elements from "Chuck", Flirting, Intrigue, M/M, Secrets, a coffee shop au if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-08-20 17:18:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20231512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darling_dontworry/pseuds/froochies
Summary: “Alright, so we've got Hinata Shouyou,” Daichi says into the phone. “20 years old, moved to Tokyo a year ago from Miyagi Prefecture. He’s got no priors but he’s the last known contact and childhood friend of Kozume Kenma. Just remember that if he’s in contact with Kozume, it's possible he might not know what is going on."Kageyama stares into the shop once more. Hinata points a customer to the menu above his head, a lightness in his eyes that doesn’t seem anything but good-natured. Like sunshine.“Got it.” Kageyama hangs up and tucks the phone in the pocket of his bomber jacket. He expects his first assignment with the Karasuno Intelligence Agency to be relatively easy. Shouldering his school bag, he enters the café, careful to keep his holster covered. He knows he won’t need it this time, but he was trained to know that a spy never leaves home without gun.--Kageyama Tobio is an up-and-coming agent at the Karasuno Intelligence Agency. His mission: cozy up to Hinata Shouyou, a cute cafe owner, who may or may not be connected with the missing hacker/programmer responsible for changing the spy game forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A lil spy AU I've been contemplating for a while for funsies. This is definitely inspired by the TV show "Chuck" so you may see similar elements in Hinata and Kageyama's relationship (spy and asset) and certain things from the show will creep into the spy stuff too!

Kageyama has eyes on his mark. Standing across from the Crow’s Café, down an alley off of Shibuya crossing, he recognizes the guy from the photos that were taken during standard recon. There are a couple of tables on a patio of the café and the mark is bringing a muffin and latte to a customer, smiling brightly and bowing before going back into the cafe. Kageyama takes out his cell and makes a call as he stares through the large window looking into the cafe. 

“It’s me,” he says when the line picks up. His handler and the point on this mission is Daichi, a steady man with dark eyes.

“You got him?” Daichi says.

“Yeah, I’m here now.”

“Alright, so we've got Hinata Shouyou,” Daichi says automatically. “20 years old, moved to Tokyo a year ago from Miyagi Prefecture. Opened his business within the past year. He’s got no priors but he’s the last known contact and childhood friend of Kozume Kenma.”

“I know that. I read the file,” Kageyama says, exasperated.

Daichi gives a bark of laughter. “I know you did,” he says. “I also know you're itching to get in there. Just remember what we talked about. If he’s in contact with Kozume, it's possible he might not know what is going on. Hinata’s a civilian through-and-through as far as we know.”

Kageyama stares into the shop once more. The mark points a customer to the menu above his head, a lightness in his eyes that doesn’t seem anything but good-natured. Like sunshine.

“So it appears,” Kageyama says, turning from the windows and looking down the alley.

“Just talk to him, see if you can find anything out. But keep your cover.”

“Got it.” Kageyama hangs up and tucks the phone in the pocket of his bomber jacket. He expects his first assignment with the Karasuno Intelligence Agency to be relatively easy. He feels light, relaxed.

Shouldering his school bag, he enters the café, careful to keep his holster covered. He knows he won’t need it this time, but he was trained to know that a spy never leaves home without gun.

For the better part of the year, Hinata has been working hard to keep the Crow’s Cafe up and running, and so far, he’s done a pretty good job if he could say so himself. The cafe was a dream of his when he graduated high school and now he’s in Tokyo, getting to make coffee for new people every day. It isn’t too exciting of a life, but it’s enough.

He’s running through all the things he needs to do after the cafe closes (call the Italian supplier, wipe down the latte machine, water the plants, etc.) when _he_ comes into the cafe.

_He_, as in, a tall, dark stranger. Hinata has never had a type (god knows his last boyfriend was the complete opposite of tall and dark), but he knows when someone has presence. He feels like his socks are about to be knocked off as the stranger walks towards the counter and stares at the menu with inky blue eyes. Hinata nearly drops the latte he is pouring. Yamaguchi, the other barista, sees this and grins at Hinata.

“I’ll take this,” Yamaguchi says, scooping the latte bowl from Hinata’s hands. “Table 2, right?”

“Yes, sorry,” Hinata says. He watches Yamaguchi swing around the counter. Hinata pats his hands on a rag tucked in his pocket. The stranger is still staring at the menu and Hinata clears his throat to grab his attention.

“What can I get you?” Hinata says.

“What do you recommend?” the stranger says. His voice matches his angular face, low and lovely to Hinata’s ears.

“Uh… well we just got in this blonde roast from Turkey that’s really good, so I’ve been recommending that. We also have a pretty good French dark roast.”

Hinata eyes the guy, waiting. He looks to be around Hinata’s age, but just much more sure of himself. Hinata thinks that maybe he’s a college student, judging from the book bag strapped to his chest.

“Mmm, I’ll take the blonde. From Turkey,” the stranger clarifies with a small smile. It makes Hinata’s stomach flip. He turns to make the coffee before he does something stupid.

“This place is pretty new isn’t it?” the stranger says behind him.

“Yeah,” Hinata says. He pauses to grind the beans and pour them into a French press. “We opened a little less than a year ago.”

“When I was younger I wanted to work in a café,” the guy says. Hinata glances back and sees him leaning on the counter. “It seemed like a good way to meet people.”

“It is! It’s Shibuya so we get a lot of foreigners and traveling businessmen.”

“Any locals?”

“Lots. Students come here often. Free wifi and all,” Hinata says, taking a pot of hot water and slowly pouring it over the coffee grounds.

“That would be one of the draws,” the stranger says. “That and the baristas are cute.”

Hinata nearly misses the counter as he puts the pot down. Yamaguchi, who had been stacking some clean latte bowls on the counter next to him, ducks into the kitchen immediately, barely covering a chuckle as a cough. Hinata glances back and sees the stranger smirking at him as if to say _Gotcha_.

“You can’t just – I mean – what are you – uh,“ Hinata splutters.

“Well, I’m gonna sit now,” Kageyama says, cutting him off and smirking still. “Do you want my name?” 

“Your name?” Hinata asks, a little breathless.

“To call. So I can come back when the coffee is ready.”

“Sure.” 

“Kageyama.” 

“’kay.”

Hinata watches Kageyama take a seat close to the counter. He feels like his tongue’s been turned into jelly.

Kageyama shoots a look at him over his laptop and Hinata turns around instantly, having been caught staring. Yamaguchi comes back from the kitchen with some more brown bags filled with coffee beans.

“What’s going on?” Yamaguchi says, eyeing Hinata’s far-off look.

“I don’t know,” Hinata says. “It’s definitely something though.”

Kageyama goes back to the cafe the next day, and then the next day. It wasn’t long ago that he wouldn’t have been able to attract a baby’s attention, let alone a fully-functioning adult, but he was trained well. He orders whatever Hinata recommends, asks him how his day is, steals small glances at him only to be caught by a tomato-red Hinata. It’s almost too easy, he thinks on the fourth day, as he convinces Hinata to join him at his table during the last hour of the café’s operating hours.

They talk about the coffee, their favorite sport (volleyball), how Kageyama is a student at Waseda (which was entirely true) and how Hinata isn’t sure if he ever wants to go to college.

“It was just never part of my plan,” he says. Hinata’s palms cup his second mug of coffee as he gazes around the café. “This was always something I wanted to have.”

“And now that you have it?” Kageyama says.

“It’s still new. I’m adjusting. My ex always said I was destined for something more than this, so that’s always at the back of my mind.”

Kageyama watches Hinata’s hands clench around his mug.

“Well, sometimes its better to live in the moment,” Kageyama says. “Appreciate that you got what you want now.”

He leans in a little, brushing his fingers over Hinata’s hand. Hinata’s eyes widen and Kageyama thinks he hears the tiniest squeak.

“Can I get you a refill?” Hinata asks, moving his hands away and standing straight up.

“Sure,” Kageyama says.

The café is empty, save for the other barista with the freckles, who, just 30 minutes ago, had loudly announced that he was washing dishes in the back. Kageyama suspected he was no longer in the building anymore and had failed to mention it to Hinata.

As Hinata walks around the counter to grab the French press, Kageyama thinks about what he just learned. Hinata had just mentioned an ex. Could that have been Kozume? Reading through the case files had Kageyama thinking that Kozume was way more than a childhood friend, but he isn’t 100% sure. Even if Hinata was just a childhood friend, he might have some useful information about certain places that Kozume would be associated with.

Hinata brings the French press to the table and pours another mug for Kageyama. It smells heavenly, Kageyama thinks, as he inhales steam emanating from the mug. There’s something comforting about being around Hinata and Kageyama was sure it wasn’t just the coffee. Maybe _easy_ wasn’t exactly the best way to describe this job.

“Thanks,” he says, dragging the cup closer to his side of the table. “You mentioned an ex… was that a recent thing?”

Hinata let out a huff. Kageyama wasn’t sure if it was annoyed huff or exasperated huff. He waited, staring at Hinata.

“It wasn’t recent,” Hinata says after a minute. “We were friends for a long time and then we realized we liked each other and dated. _That_ was a long time ago. We’re not together anymore obviously. He still keeps in touch, though.”

Kageyama raises his eyebrows. Any sort of ex keeping in touch with anyone wasn’t always comfortable (at least for him). “And how does that feel?” he asks.

“It’s normal,” Hinata says. He gives Kageyama a reassuring smile. “I check on him too. We’ve been friends since we were kids.”

Kageyama doesn’t say anything. This is definitely starting to sound like Kozume to him. The man was said to be quiet and reclusive, choosing to work Nekoma assignments behind-the-scenes.

“When did you last hear from him?”

Hinata shrugs. “It’s been around a month. Which is kind of unusual, I guess. Why?”

“It just seems hard. Does he contact you often?” 

“Maybe once every few months. He was never really a talker anyways,” Hinata said with a small laugh. 

Kageyama feels his face heat up. _Oh?_ The pit of his stomach feels empty all of a sudden, or maybe like a rock dropped into it, he isn’t quite sure. 

“No, I – I meant that he’s quiet,” he says, nudging Kageyama’s knee with his shoe. “He always preferred to text me if we were apart and he never really says what’s on his mind unless I ask him.”

“Right,” Kageyama says. It’s not like his interest in Hinata is totally fake, so he goes with it. “I was thinking the opposite of talking was...” He chances a glance at Hinata’s face and sees Hinata blush.

“Sorry,” Hinata mumbles. “I wasn’t trying to - “

“I know,” Kageyama says. “I didn’t mean to get too personal.”

“I know.” 

Hinata looks shy again for a moment, the blush still on his cheeks and his eyes turned down at his coffee mug. Then something shifts. Hinata raises his head and looks straight into Kageyama’s eyes. He sits up straighter. Kageyama doesn’t know what it is but something is totally different.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Hinata says.

“What do you want to talk about?” For once, Kageyama is confused by the quick change of mood. Hinata tilts his head and leans in a little.

“What to do when I close the café.”

“When will that be?” 

Kageyama doesn’t move when Hinata leans in even closer. He can see Hinata’s eye color more clearly now – a chestnut brown.

“Now,” Hinata says.

This job is _interesting_, Kageyama thinks, when he closes the distance between them. 

Hinata kicks the door of his apartment open a few hours later, tipping his keys onto a nearby hook and dropping a paper bag filled with groceries on the floor. As much as he wanted to spend more time with Kageyama, he thought that a bit of fooling around in the café was enough.

_For now. _

As he kicks off his shoes and takes his groceries to his tiny kitchenette, he gets to thinking about his frequent visitor at the coffee shop. Handsome, easy to talk to… It was almost too perfect, the way Kageyama would stare intensely at him as if he were the only person in the world. 

Hinata liked it, liked _him_, though it felt strange to talk about Kenma at length with someone he barely knew. Kenma was always a shadow in his life. Not a bad one, just something that was private and something he never talked about to anybody except Kenma himself. He knew that Kenma worked for some tech organization now, so he was even more scarce than usual. 

The veggies go in a drawer in the fridge, the rice in a container above the counter, then Hinata heads off to shower, brushes his teeth, and flings himself into bed. Under the covers, hair still damp, he peruses the pictures on his phone, scrolling deep into 2015/16 territory. Kenma had always hated pictures and Hinata chuckles as he finds a few selfies of him and Kenma (who is looking pointedly away from the camera).

_Maybe I should call him_, Hinata thinks. He puts his phone down and stares at his watch. It reads a little past midnight. He taps the face of the watch with a finger, then takes it off and places it carefully on his bedside table.

_He’ll catch up eventually. He always does, _he thinks, before drifting off to sleep.

Miles away from Hinata’s apartment in Tokyo, Kenma is hunched over a desk in the basement of a safe house in Miyagi. The blue glow of the computer in front of him is soft on his hands and face. He types rapidly, strings of code on the screen growing longer and longer. 

He thinks about what he has to do, what it might cost. It’s risky, dangerous. But the only thing he could trust right now is his connection with Shouyou.

Reading over what we wrote, he clicks his mouse, and his creation is live. It’s exactly what he expected it to be, it should be after years and years of research and trial and error. What should be a moment of triumph is impacted by what he has to do to protect it and himself.

Kenma grimaces as he closes the program and slowly drags it into a file marked “Disc,” feels his stomach churn like a black hole in space.

“Are you sure you want to send to ‘Disc’?” a popup asks.

Kenma knows he has no choice but to click, “Yes.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Kageyama get teased mercilessly by their colleagues for their stupid crushes, we learn more about Kenma's spy work, and Hinata gets a message from Kenma!

The next morning is chaotic for Hinata. For some reason, his phone had turned off during the night, so his usual alarm never rang. He had woken up on his own a full forty-five minutes after he meant to. His phone turned on for a brief moment and he was able to send a message out to Yamaguchi, but it died again right way. On top of that, the JR station was packed and once he makes it on the train, there are delays for construction. He makes it to the café two hours late.

“Got your text, but I still opened a little late,” Yamaguchi says upon seeing Hinata enter through the back of the kitchen.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” Hinata says. “This morning was such a bummer.”

“It’s ok, Hinata no one was even here.” Yamaguchi flashes a small smile before asking, “What happened to you?”

“Alarm didn’t go off,” Hinata says, putting his bag on a hook by the door. He looks down at his phone. The screen is still completely black. “I don’t know what happened, last night my phone was completely fine and now it won’t even turn on.”

Yamaguchi turns on the faucet in the sink and sends a sympathetic look to Hinata. 

“Help, Yama-chan,” Hinata says weakly holding it up to Yamaguchi, who is now soaking the bowls in soapy water. “Can you look at my phone? You were able to fix up those iPads for the front so you have to know something about these stupid things.”

Yamaguchi eyes him and tries to stifle a laugh at Hinata’s childish tone.

“It’s busy now,” he says, nodding towards the doors to the front and grabbing more latte bowls and mugs from the shelf next the sink. “Later.”

Yamaguchi wipes his hands and disappears behind the doors to the café leaving Hinata to pull himself together. This morning just sucked in contrast with his evening with Kageyama (which had been extra fun). He couldn’t believe that he was here just last night and now he was back and exhausted.

_It’s just an off morning, _Hinata thinks as he leans over the sink. He splashes water on his face, wipes it on his apron, then takes a deep breath before heading out to the café to help Yamaguchi.

Kageyama doesn’t have classes in the morning, so he likes to spend his time getting work done in the Waseda University Library. The reading room has tall ceilings, large windows that let natural sunlight in, soothing ambient noise from chattering students, and, best of all, large private cubicles for students to work in. Kageyama is writing a report for his Art History class when someone pulls up a chair next to his cubicle. He bristles a little bit until he sees who it is.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” Daichi says with a grin.

“Daichi,” Kageyama says, feeling relieved. “What’s going on?”

Daichi’s eyes look this way and that before continuing.

“I’m wondering how you’re handling the asset,” Daichi says. “It’s been a few days since you’ve made contact.”

Kageyama sighs and tips his head up to look at the ceiling.

“I haven’t gotten any new information, but I am almost positive that Hinata doesn’t know anything about Nekoma. And it seems that Kozume was more than a friend for Hinata.”

Daichi shrugs and folds his arms. It makes Kageyama feel like he’s gonna get scolded.

“That can make things a little more delicate. But it’s not like we didn’t think that was a possibility,” Daichi says. “There’s not much to go on, so just keep at it, even if there’s the slightest chance Kozume would have trusted Hinata with the information. We always knew this would be a long-shot, but it’s good to have our bases covered.”

Kageyama nods in affirmation while Daichi pulls out a small black USB drive from his pocket.

“I also came to give you this,” he says, slipping it onto the desk next to his computer mouse. “Read through this file when you get the chance. It’s some information about Kozume’s Intersect project.”

Kageyama hadn’t heard many details of Kozume’s disappearance before being assigned to Hinata’s case. He knew that the hacker had been missing for weeks now, either forced or by choice, and he was developing something extremely important.

“Intersect?” Kageyama pockets the drive and stares at Daichi, who has now tipped his chair onto its back legs and was trying to balance.

“Yeah, that’s what the higher ups are calling it. It’s the whole reason we’re here.”

“So they think that this program is why Kozume is off-grid?? 

“Exactly. The higher ups want it pretty bad – supposed to be some sort of training program to create the ultimate super spy.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Daichi says, holding his arms out like an airplane to balance on his tipped chair, “say that the human brain is a like a hard drive. The Intersect can supposedly upload a lot of information into the human brain at one time in an instant, so that, say, an agent could know how to crack a safe they’ve never tried cracking before.” 

Kageyama, still a little confused, wants to tell Daichi to sit properly like an adult, but instead says nothing.

“It sounds magical, huh? You wouldn’t even have to read that file I gave you, you would just get it uploaded in that brain of yours like _that_.” Daichi’s eyes squint in concentration as he keeps his balance. “But at the same time, you can’t program hard-learned skills into someone overnight.”

“But still,” Kageyama says. “That’s insane. It would make the months you spent training me seem like a waste.”

Daichi stops playing with his chair and sets it back down with a slam, to which Kageyama winces slightly.

“Not a waste,” says Daichi. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m a better teacher than any computer.”

Daichi waggles his eyebrows as if hoping Kageyama will give him a thumbs-up, but Kageyama is thinking of other things now. He still has a lot of work to do. He thinks about his barely finished Art History report and about how he wanted to stop by the café to do his reading for literature.

“Well if that’s all – “ Kageyama starts.

“You’re going back to the café again today, aren’t you?” Daichi says, cutting him off.

Kageyama feels himself flush at the question, and it doesn’t go unnoticed by Daichi, who grins. 

“Is Hinata as cute in real life as he is in the photos in the file?” he says in a taunting voice.

“Yes,” Kagayama says, squirming in his seat. _Is this grade school? _

“Ha! I can’t believe you actually said it,” Daichi says, standing up and shoving a baseball cap on his head. “All from the guy who won’t even tell me his favorite color.”

Kageyama glares at his superior and it makes Daichi laugh out loud again.

“Don’t worry,” Daichi continues. “It’s only natural. It’s probably for the better.”

“Is it?” Kageyama grunts.

“It’s better,” Daichi clarifies, “because it lets you be authentic with the asset.” His smile is fading and his mouth forms a hard line. “Don’t forget that you will probably have to burn him when the time comes.” 

Kageyama nods and watches as Daichi waves and disappears into the stacks. Daichi was also a Waseda student, his senior by two years, also recruited after testing well during certain University entrance exams. He wonders if Daichi has ever burned an asset before. _Probably_, he thinks.

For a brief moment, Kageyama imagines telling Hinata what his true motivations are. He imagines cutting ties with Hinata, having to arrest him, or even worse… Hinata’s hurt, confused face swims into his brain, the one he had on when talking about his ex-boyfriend.

Kageyama shakes his head, rattling Hinata’s face from his mind.

“Keep it together, idiot,” he says to himself. 

The café is busy up until around 2pm and it’s only around that time Hinata feels like he can take a break. He makes himself a pour-over and sits down at his favorite table by the window to go over some order sheets for the next month. He also coaxes Yamaguchi out to sit with him and try to fix his phone while there aren’t any customers.

“You know,” says Yamaguchi, eyeing the paperwork in Hinata’s hands, “it’s not really a break if you’re doing work.”

“Ha ha,” Hinata says. “Easy for you to say, you’re just the paid labor.”

“Rude, I do other things. For instance: tech support.”

Hinata puts the papers down and looks at Yamaguchi with some concern.

“Ah, you’re right, sorry,” he says, putting his face into his hands.

“Sho, I was joking,” Yamaguchi says, shaking his head and putting the phone down as the screen turns grey then pure white. “You must have had a really rough morning. And here I thought you’d be all peppy considering…”

“Considering what?”

“Considering I left you and Kageyama alone last night and I thought something… well, _fun_ might have happened while I was gone.”

Hinata feels his mouth drop open and heat rise in his cheeks and ears.

“Well!” he feels himself say in a very shrill voice. “Stuff happened...”

Yamaguchi has a huge smile on his face now. Stupid weirdly perceptive Yamaguchi.

“I knew it,” he says, ignoring Hinata’s phone completely now. “Spill.”

“Well, stuff happened.”

“You said that already.”

“But nothing big. We just made out,” Hinata shrugs. “Then I went home. By myself.”

Yamaguchi rolls his eyes. 

“Lame. Why though.”

“I HAVE STUFF.”

“I bet Kageyama can handle your stuff,” Yamaguchi mutters just loud enough for Hinata to hear.

Hinata puts his head down on the table. The truth was, Hinata definitely wanted Kageyama to handle his stuff, but there was other stuff that needed to be worked on before Hinata could even consider a relationship. The Crow’s Café was barely scraping by. Though they were quite popular, the business side was still slightly in the red on a good month. He needed to worry about the café before taking on something new, especially a relationship.

Hinata sits up and takes a big gulp of his tea.

“You’re overthinking things,” Yamaguchi says, now staring at Hinata’s phone again and clicking through several screens. “That’s not like you.”

“No?”

“Nope.” Yamaguchi looks at him seriously. “We’re doing well, you know.”

“Are we?”

“We have a lot of foot traffic, make decent sales each week,” Yamaguchi says, looking back at the phone with narrowed eyes. “So, yeah, we are. We could be doing better, but so what? You still deserve to have some fun.”

Yamaguchi hands Hinata his phone with a look that said his lecture was over.

“How did you do that?” Hinata says with wide eyes.

“I think you panicked and forgot about manually resetting your phone.” The bell on the door rings as he says this, and Yamaguchi’s face splits into a wide grin. “Also, your boy toy is here,” he adds, getting up and moving towards the counter.

Hinata looks up to see Kageyama striding towards his table. He leans down and presses a kiss to Hinata’s cheek, which is now the color of a fuji apple. 

“Hi,” Hinata squeaks, resisting the urge to touch the spot where Kageyama’s lips had just been.

“Hi,” Kageyama says. He takes a seat in Yamaguchi’s empty spot, while Yamaguchi himself brings over a mug of coffee.

“That one’s on me,” Yamaguchi says, winking at Hinata. 

Hinata, now very red and very embarrassed, takes up the order sheets in his hands again.

“I’m just gonna – “ he says, brandishing the papers at Kageyama.

“Ok,” Kagayama says with an amused chuckle. He takes a little book out of his bag. “I have stuff to do too.”

Hinata nods and shakes his head a little, as if that will help get the red out of his face. They sit in silence and do their work together until more people come in and Hinata is forced to get back behind the counter.

Kenma is getting on a train. He feels ridiculous wearing his old red sports uniform from high school, but it seemed like a safe cover while he was travelling (people always thought he was younger than he was). He also had decided to wear black mask and cap so that his eyes were barely visible under everything. Despite the recklessness of what he was doing, he was not taking any more chances than he had to.

The train arrives and he takes a seat on the aisle. As it starts to move, his burner phone vibrates in his pocket. 

Kuroo: I should be there with you

Kenma: No. What part of emergency phone do you not understand

Kuroo: This is an emergency bc I miss you. Did I mention I should be there with you. You’re not a very strong fighter you know 

Kenma: Gee thanks

Kuroo: You know what I mean

Kenma: I’m taking every precaution I can

Kuroo: I cant even know where you are. I hate this

Kenma: I know

Kuroo: Just tell me ur safe

Kenma: I am

Kuroo: Keep checking in with me

Kenma: Ok

Kenma turns his phone off and fights the urge to text Kuroo and take back everything he just said. He thinks about their home, the weird blue futon they had gotten second-hand, their two cats lounging in the window overlooking Ginza. It had been weeks since he left home, but it the only way to make sure that Kuroo was safe.

He looks out of the window, watching rice paddies fly by, followed by a baseball park and some apartment buildings. Kenma wriggles, nerves giving out as he thinks about his destination. As much as the city gives him anxiety and as stupid as this could turn out to be, he can’t wait until his train pulls into Tokyo Station. 

The rest of Hinata’s day goes pretty quickly. Kageyama leaves the café before the evening rush, stopping at the register to give him a quick kiss over the counter. 

When Hinata gets home, he finally has a chance to take a look at his newly fixed phone. He looks through his emails, saving some Crow’s Café-related emails unread for tomorrow. Then he sees one from Kenma – or, at least, from his email address.

_Kenma has saved something in your shared folder “Disc.”_

Hinata grins, wondering if this was the cause of his phone getting messed up. Kenma and him had started a file years ago to share memes and pictures with each other. It became obsolete because it was slow and things like Google Drive and Dropbox were becoming popular.

Hinata immediately opens his laptop and sits on his couch. He navigates to the file “Disc,” which still sits on his desktop after all these years. The new file saved inside is called “Game.” 

“Huh,” Hinata says under his breath. “Kenma, what is this…?”

He clicks on the file and it opens. The screen goes black and a few words appear on the screen.

_When the cat is away…_

Hinata breathes a laugh. It had been an inside joke about their rival volleyball teams in high school. This must be a game he was developing and he wanted it to have a bit of protection. Hinata places his hands on the keyboard and types the rest of the phrase. 

_The crow will play._

He presses enter and waits for the game to load, rubbing his eyes. It was a bit of a hectic day and he was ready for a good night’s sleep. His schedule for tomorrow runs through his mind before he sees _something_ on the computer screen.

Quick as a flash, whatever it is vanishes. The screen goes blank and his keyboard starts smoking.

Hinata starts to get up, starts to close the screen to stifle whatever is happening in it, but suddenly, his head starts pounding with pain. 

Hinata doesn't even have time to think. He stumbles back onto the couch, head bursting. The pain goes from zero to one-hundred in a second and he feels himself fall back into the chair and into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about why Kenma has gone missing, and Hinata and Kageyama go on a date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments on the last chapter. Hinata is ok! I've still got a few surprises maybe. It's a work in progress still, but I'm hoping to finish around early October. Thanks for reading and for the support - here goes nothing :)

The alarm on his phone goes off and Hinata springs up, wide awake.

“Oh god,” Hinata says out loud, putting his head in his hands. He doesn’t remember going to bed the previous night, just a splitting pain and then…

“I fainted?” he says out loud again. He looks at the time on his phone – the alarm had already gone off several times and he rushes into the bathroom, barely registering the laptop sitting in front of him, totally dead. He needs to get ready – he’s going to be late again if he doesn’t hurry.

He scrubs quickly in the shower, finds a clean pair of underwear in the bottom of his sock drawer, and heads out after double-checking he has everything.

_I remember opening Kenma’s game_, he thinks as he runs to his regular JR station,_ and then what? _He skips down the steps, picking his way through the crowds in the terminal and lines forming for other platforms. As he waits for his train, he types out a message to Kenma: 

_Hey Kenma, I got your game. I like the password haha, but the game itself never turned on. Don’t think it works, though I kind of konked out after trying to open it (I had a crazy day yesterday) so it might have just turned off after I fell asleep. Glad to see you’re working on stuff, hope you’re doing well :)_

The train arrives as he finishes the email. He looks over it once before finding a place to stand and sends it out as the train starts moving. Looking out as the city whooshes by, Hinata catches a glimpse of a billboard for a soft drink, some tea he’d heard about on television or something. The brand’s logo stands out in the bottom corner of the billboard, bright green.

In the instant when Hinata’s eyes find the logo, a flash of information runs through his mind and a shooting pain stabs through his forehead.

</herbalife><p>international tea and sports drink company. in 1988 they filed a suit against the government of hiroshima –

“Ugh,” he says out loud, putting his head back in his hands and pulling at his hair. Is he motion sick all of a sudden? And there was that little click of remembering something too? He suddenly knew about a deal in 1988 with Herbalife and Hiroshima’s government. Why?

He shakes his head as if to discourage a fly from landing on his nose. It must be fatigue… his head isn’t on straight and he’s imagining things or letting his mind wander. Not wanting further distractions during the day ahead, Hinata puts his ear buds in and closes his eyes for the rest of the ride.

Kageyama has also typed up a message this morning. As he walks onto the Waseda campus, he reads it one more time. 

To Hinata:_ Morning - sorry, I can’t make it to the café to study today. Can I see you later tonight? I’d like to take you to dinner if that’s ok. _

Short, sweet, and not too pushy. That’s what Kageyama wants. He clicks send as he approaches a white building.

Kageyama had done some entrance exams in this same building and had called the Registrar’s Office on the upper floor when he registered and paid for classes, but now he knows it as the base for the campus faction of the Karasuno Intelligence Agency. 

He hitches up his shoulder bag and enters the building, nodding at the security guard before entering a single black elevator off to the side with his student id. Kageyama had been curious about the reasons behind the poorly concealed entrance before, but nobody really asked questions about where the mystery elevator went after all.

As the elevator descends to Karasuno’s little-known basement floor, Kageyama thinks about where to take Hinata tonight if he’s available. There’s this ramen place that he really likes. It’s pretty popular but it’s close to the café so if they’re able to go early, they can get seated quickly. Then maybe they could walk around afterwards... There was this music club in that area that they could go to. And then, maybe they could go to Hinata’s place…

Kageyama shakes his head, mostly to remind himself where he is. The elevator doors open and he steps into an empty hallway. His phone chimes and he stops in front of the second door on the left to check it.

Hinata: _Yamaguchi says he can cover and close for me. It’s a date! See you at 7ish? _

Kageyama smiles to himself and types a quick “Ok” to him before entering the conference room and taking a seat at the empty long table inside.

A date. Kageyama hasn’t really been on a date in a long time. Even with the covert meetings, spy training, and working out, Kageyama never had an active social life. Sure, as he went up the ranks at Karasuno, he’d be flying out of the country more often or getting called on longer missions, but he’d still rather be in his room reading up on his missions or binge-watching something on Netflix in his free time.

_This wouldn’t even be a real date anyways, it’s for work_, Kageyama thinks to himself as his phone chimes again.

Hinata: :)

He feels a flutter in his stomach before the door opens. Kageyama shoves the feeling down and stows the phone away as other members of the Agency start to file in.

“Morning,” Daichi says, taking the seat next to him. “Were you sitting here for long?”

“Not really,” Kageyama says.

“You’re making the rest of us look bad.” Daichi grins and nods at some of the agents that Kageyama had met during his training. Kageyama couldn’t remember their names, but he nods at them as well to be polite.

The seats are filled one by one until the senior agent on Kozume’s missing person case, Ukai, enters the room. Where Daichi was reliable-looking and calm, Ukai looks like he was a bad boy in a previous life – he’s got holes in his ears where Kageyama assumes there used to be an earring or two and his hair is bleached and styled back.

“Ok, looks like everyone’s here,” Ukai says. “Thanks everyone for making it this early. I have a few important updates on this case.”

“From the looks of it, none of our leads have panned out so far. Family, friends, coworkers… nobody has heard from Kozume for the last 27 days. The last contact we had with him was 29 days ago. He communicated with us that The Intersect project was a few weeks from completion and he would have it ready for us to pass on to The Japanese Cabinet of Intelligence.” 

Ukai pauses to clear his throat. Kageyama had known all of this since day one. What was so important that they had all been gathered so suddenly?

“However, we received a communication from someone at Nekoma last night. We now know that Kozume was not kidnapped, but has been forced into hiding by another party. I had some agents working the black market last night and we received some very interesting information about the Seijoh Syndicate.”

“Seijoh?” Kageyama mutters to Daichi.

“They’re this private organization that sells intel to the highest bidder,” Daichi says back in a low voice. “Japanese or otherwise.”

“Seriously? I’ve never heard of them before.”

“Probably because they have a front as a huge private logistics corporation – you may know them as Aoba Johsai Incorporated.”

Kageyama feels his eyebrows quirk up at this. Aoba Johsai was a huge consulting company in Tokyo – he even had business classmates gunning to grab a spot in their coveted internship program. A company that large and influential would be the perfect cover for meeting high-profile clients and gathering information.

Ukai clears his throat again loudly, looking directly at Kageyama and Daichi, who immediately stop talking and sit up straighter.

“With this new information,” Ukai continues, “we have very little reason to believe that any of our current leads will pan out. If Kozume has gone underground for his own safety, our contact at Nekoma is adamant that he will not endanger any of his known associates by attempting to contact them in any way. If you’re currently working a lead on an associate of his, feel free to keep doing so, but know that you may be reassigned to another case. Any questions?” 

Ukai looks at them all one more time. No one says anything.

“Good. I’ll be in touch with point people later in the day for reassignments or updates.”

With that, Ukai leaves the room, allowing the agents he left behind to start their own whispered conversations and speculation.

Daichi looks at Kageyama.

“I guess that means you have to start weaning yourself from Hinata,” he says with a small smirk. “Were you planning on seeing him today?”

“Yeah… we were gonna get dinner.” Kageyama feels his excitement from before the meeting start to wither away. He’s not sure if he’s disappointed that he doesn’t have a date or relieved that his fake date is cancelled and he can stop obsessing over the café owner.

“Well,” Daichi says, standing up and clamping a hand on his shoulders, “As your point person, I have a feeling that your case isn’t quite over yet. You should probably go just in case.”

“Didn’t you hear what Ukai said? I’ll probably be – ”

“No,” Daichi says, his hand clenching onto Kageyama’s shoulder with a bit more force. “I think you should really go. You never know what kinds of things you could learn in a night.”

Kageyama frowns at this. Is Daichi doing what he thinks he’s doing?

“I’ll expect a full report tomorrow,” Daichi continues. A grin is now on his face and he exits the door with a wave, leaving Kageyama feeling very confused and maybe a little lighter than he had a few seconds ago.

He guessed he still had a date.

Hinata felt sick all day. Along with his head feeling fifty times heavier from the migraine he’s had since the morning, his stomach had been rumbly and weird since he told Kageyama they could grab dinner.

“It’s probably just nerves,” Yamaguchi had said soothingly when Hinata told him about this.

Yamaguchi, of course, was dead right, though Hinata wasn’t going to admit it. He spent the rest of his day trying to keep calm, even avoiding taking his daily walk around Shibuya in order to lie down in the small office in the back of café. He stands now outside of the café, the time on his phone reading 7:03. 

A minute passes. Then, he sees Kageyama striding down the alleyway towards the café. Hinata’s stomach gives one large rumble (either with anxiety or hunger) as Kageyama grins broadly at him.

“Hungry?” Kageyama says, stopping just beside him and reaching out for Hinata’s hand. Hinata gulps, unable to say anything and just nods. His heart hammers rapidly under his chest as he takes Kageyama’s hand and allows him to lead the way towards the streets packed with commuters and dinner-goers.

As they weave their way through the hordes trying to get home for the day, all Hinata can do is stare at the back of Kageyama’s head as he trudges ahead. Along with his head still pulsing with soreness, he feels his nerves coming to a peak as he realizes that he is taking time off of running the café to eat dinner a guy he likes, merely a week after meeting. It feels weird, but Hinata is excited and nervous to think.

They leave the crowded streets and head down another alleyway with enough room for Hinata to fall into step next to Kageyama, hands still connected. It’s quiet except for the whir of bicyclists passing by and the sounds of bells chiming on shop doors. Calmer now, Hinata finds his voice again.

“You haven’t said anything about what we’re eating,” he says quietly, tugging on the side of Kageyama’s shirt. 

“Oh,” Kageyama says, looking at him and giving a small smile. “Ramen. Sorry, I didn’t mean to – “

“No it’s ok, I’m nervous so I didn’t even bother to ask.”

“Why are you nervous?” Kageyama squeezes his hand and pulls him closer so they’re walking shoulder-to-shoulder. 

Hinata feels a blush creep up his neck.

“Uh,” he says, at a loss for words again. Kageyama stops walking and faces Hinata. He leans down to close to Hinata’s face, forcing him to look into the blue of Kageyama’s eyes, to study each strand of hair falling onto his forehead.

“We’ve only known each other a week, right?” Kageyama says.

Hinata nods, wondering where he’s going with this.

“Did you have fun when we were together?”

Hinata nods again.

“I did too,” Kageyama says. “So let’s just have fun tonight. No pressure.”

Kageyama nudges Hinata’s cheek with his nose. It is an odd gesture, something that perhaps feels a lot more intimate than it probably looks, Hinata finds himself thinking. And yet, Hinata feels the pain in his head subside slightly. He can’t help feeling fond of Kageyama in the moment.

“Ok,” Hinata says quietly as Kageyama pulls back and leads him towards a nearby shop with a blue awning. There are a few people waiting in a queue outside, so they file in behind as Kageyama talks about how this is one of his favorite spots in the city and what kind of toppings he likes on his ramen.

“Definitely getting an egg, maybe extra noodles too. What about you?” he says, looking at Hinata.

“Huh?” Hinata says, still thinking about Kageyama’s nose on his cheek.

“Oi, don’t space on me now,” Kageyama says, poking his side. This makes Hinata laugh and he relents, looking at the ticket machine and the different options for ramen.

“I don’t know,” Hinata says. “You go first.”

Kageyama shrugs and reaches out to the machine. He pushes the buttons for fish cakes, extra noodles, and an extra egg. Then he takes out his wallet and Hinata gets a flash of Kageyama’s student ID. There’s a moment when Hinata registers the little picture of Kageyama on the card before he gasps, his head bursting with pain. He doubles over, reeling, and for a second time that day, another wave of information sweeps through his mind.

</kageyama tobio><p>born december 22<p>student, waseda university<h1>agentidentificationnumber45562<h1>agentstatus<p>tested into training program with karasuno intelligence agency in ju –

“Hinata,” a voice says sharply. “Hinata!”

He snaps back to reality, his focus sharpening on the face in front of him.

“Kageyama… sorry… I really spaced out there,” Hinata says.

Kageyama narrows his eyes slightly, placing a soothing hand on Hinata’s back.

“It looked like you were gonna faint.” The hand leaves his lower back and Kageyama places it on Hinata’s forehead. “You don’t seem sick,” he continues, more quietly this time. “A bit clammy, maybe. Did you drink water today?”

“Yes,” Hinata says, not really paying attention. A few things go through his mind as he turns from Kageyama’s gaze.

Another burst of information, just like with Herbalife this morning. Also, Kageyama is part of an intelligence agency? In the days they’ve known each other, Kageyama had never mentioned anything like that. Was it true? If it was, then what did that mean?

The Karasuno Intelligence Agency. The name sounds slightly familiar, but like something he had heard in a movie once. He thinks back to the moment when he learned this, how he learned some information about Kageyama of all people. Just like in the morning with the herbalife thing… it was like the information had just popped into his brain. He just suddenly knew things.

Hinata turns back to Kageyama, who is looking slightly puzzled now.

“My head has been hurting all day,” he says, attempting a sheepish smile and rubbing the back of his head. “Maybe I should just call it a night.”

Kageyama’s frown deepens slightly.

“Are you sure?” When he nods, Kageyama continues. “At least let me walk you back to the café.”

Hinata nods again gratefully. He lets his eyes close as Kageyama leads him away from the ramen shop. Whoever Kageyama is or whatever the Karasuno agency was or wasn’t, there was something about the guy that Hinata couldn’t _not_ trust.

“Idiot,” he hears Kageyama mutter. “You should have said something.”

Hinata huffs a laugh, opening an eye to peek at his date.

“I really wanted ramen,” he says, causing Kageyama to snort.

They walk in silence for the rest of the way. When they finally reach a familiar alleyway, Hinata forces his eyes open in order to unlock the front door of The Crow’s Café. The “closed” sign is up and the shades in the windows are drawn, but the lights are still on and he spies a shadowy figure in front of the counter. Hinata had told Yamaguchi to close as soon as he left, but it looked like he had stayed to clean up a bit.

But when they enter the café, Hinata sets eyes on someone who is not Yamaguchi at all. 

“Shouyou,” says the man, who is wearing a familiar red tracksuit. His nose and mouth are covered with a black air mask and the brim of a black baseball cap is low over his eyes, but Hinata is quite sure of who is underneath.

“Kenma?” he says.

Hinata can feel Kageyama tense up a bit as Kenma lowers his mask.

“Hello, Shouyou.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma has appeared in Tokyo, throwing Kageyama for a loop. Along with doing research on the Karasuno Intelligence Agency and setting up another date with Kageyama, Hinata is approached by a man who wants to invest in the cafe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this is a bit of a longer update. And, you'll also see that the chapter count has gone up just slightly. Writing this part made me realize that I have a few more things I want to cover and one more chapter isn't enough. Thanks so much for your comments and for reading! Here we go again - enjoy :)

Kageyama thought he’d have a quiet night with the asset he has a stupid crush on and then they’d never see each other again afterwards, as much as that pained him. _However_, he thinks as he stares at the figure in red in front of him and Hinata, _fate can be a bitch._

“Kenma!” Hinata says, totally unaware of Kageyama’s internal shock. “How’d you get in here?”

“Tadashi let me in.”

“Kenma,” Kageyama mutters to Hinata. “This is your ex?”

Hinata nods and turns to lock the door behind them to prevent customers from coming in. Kageyama’s ignorance is an act, of course, for Hinata’s sake. He could identify Kozume Kenma by the way the man _walked_, had studied hours of surveillance footage of Kozume working in his lab, seen picture after picture of him in the docket for the mission.

As Hinata fumbles around the doorway, Kozume turns to Kageyama. His gaze lingers for a few seconds and his gold eyes stare unblinkingly, giving Kageyama the bad feeling that he is being studied.

“You opened my game,” Kozume says simply, eyes moving to Hinata. 

“Yeah,” Hinata says, rushing to embrace him. “Didn’t get to play it though.”

“Maybe later.” Kozume pats him on the back lightly and rolls his shoulders back when Hinata lets go. “You look a little pale.”

“He didn’t feel too good at dinner,” Kageyama says, stepping forward a bit. “Actually, he should probably –”

It’s a miniscule movement, but Kozume inches back as if Kageyama were a large spider, a hand pulling Hinata with him by the elbow.

“Kenma, it’s okay,” Hinata says, smiling and trying to brush Kozume’s hand off of him. “This is Kageyama. He’s a… friend.”

Kozume’s eyes narrow slightly. There’s something about Kozume that makes Kageyama want to be on his guard, it’s almost like he knows –

“You were on a date,” Kozume says, eyes flicking back to Hinata, who turns red instantly. Kozume’s mouth twitches into a smile and he releases Hinata from his grip.

“I’m sorry, Shouyou,” he continues. “I should have emailed you back, but I was in the area.”

“No, no,” Hinata says, still slightly red. He waves his hands around as if to stop a bus. “It’s ok! I actually was having a massive migraine earlier so we were going to call it a night.”

“Are you overworking yourself again?”

“No, of course not! Sit down, I’ll make you a coffee or something. We can catch up.”

“That sounds nice,” Kozume says, allowing Hinata to brush off the question and scooch him to a nearby table.

“Kageyama, you too!” Hinata says with a grin.

As much as Kageyama genuinely wants to do what Hinata says, the missing person Karasuno has been investigating for the past three weeks has suddenly appeared right in front of him. He has to do something, but he also can’t just let Kozume out of his sight for too long. He just needs a moment alone.

“Maybe I should pick up some food for you,” Kageyama says in a low voice. “I have a feeling you haven’t eaten all day.”

Right on queue, Hinata’s stomach growls loudly at the mention of food.

“Thank you,” Hinata says, blushing again. “Do you want to just pick something up from the convenience store? There’s one if you keep going down the alley.”

Kageyama takes food orders from the pair then rushes out into the night. He inhales a big breath of cool air once outside. _This is insane_, he thinks, reaching for his phone. Since he had gone off the grid of his own free will, nobody, not even Daichi or Ukai, had actually expected to find Kozume at this point. What to do in this situation wasn’t exactly explicitly said or written in the protocol. He doesn’t want to arrest Kozume in front of Hinata, but it’s definitely not a good idea to let him run around Tokyo. He doesn’t seem dangerous or anything, it’s not even like Kozume is a real threat...

_He__ was the one who was threatened_, Kageyama thinks, staring at his phone. _I can understand why he went off the grid, but why is he here now? _

Lost in thought, Kageyama barely registers as someone sidles up behind him. He turns his head and sees Kozume.

“I just told Shouyou I wanted to let you know about my food allergy,” he says, eyes on the phone in Kageyama’s hand.

Kageyama stares. He and Kozume are alone now in a secluded alleyway. Wouldn’t it be better to just reveal himself and take him to a secure location now? But what about Hinata? He’d just be waiting for both of them to get back, how would he explain –

“You’re thinking too hard, Karasuno,” Kozume says.

Kageyama blinks at this, trying not to betray any of his surprise. Of course Kozume knows he’s with Karasuno. Kageyama had a feeling about it from the moment he laid eyes on him. He says nothing, allowing Kozume’s eyes to sweep over his (hopefully) expressionless face.

“I came back to make sure Shouyou was safe,” Kozume continues. “But I can see that he is. Or at the very least, he is being watched.”

“We’ve been looking for you for a while now,” Kageyama starts. “We can help protect you now, if you'll let us. But why isn’t Hinata safe?”

Kageyama feels hyper-aware of the programmer’s small movements as he considers the question, his head tilted to the side slightly. 

“You may be thinking that it’s more dangerous for me to be back,” Kozume says, “but it’s actually Shouyou that has what everyone is looking for.”

Despite trying to remain neutral-faced, Kageyama feels his eyes widen in surprise.

“Don’t tell me – ”

“Shouyou is usually very energetic. But the fatigue, the headaches. They’re common side effects of uploading The Intersect.”

If there is anything else Kageyama could least expect from tonight’s unfolding of events, this would definitely take the cake. He has the sudden need to sit down or maybe faint, but another feeling replaces the growing nausea in his stomach. The thought of Hinata ignorant to the danger he is now in makes his blood boil. Kageyama stares adamantly into Kozume’s eyes. 

“He’s a civilian. He’s happy,” Kageyama grits out. “Why – ”

“A civilian with zero ties with the intelligence community, save for me, someone Seijoh doesn’t even know exists. Shouyou is currently in possession of the only copy of the Intersect. He is too distracted by his work to notice, but when he does, we will have to support him and make sure nothing happens to him before we can bring him to your organization.”

_This is insane_, Kageyama thinks for the second time tonight. He looks into Kozume’s face, the anger still rising in his gut as he suddenly recalls something Hinata said before. _My ex always said I was destined for something more than this, so that’s always at the back of my mind_.

“So… he’s basically a walking USB drive.” Kageyama says. “Are you planning on telling him at all? Or is this just your weird way of making him fulfill his potential or something?”

“Despite what you may think of my actions, I care for Shouyou.”

“Could have fooled me.”

Kozume raises his eyebrows, not missing the heat in Kageyama’s words this time.

“Shouyou is the strongest person I know. I’ve been compromised and he is the only one I felt I could trust with the program.”

When Kageyama doesn’t reply, Kozume continues, “We have the same goal, Agent, and it seems like you also know how easy it is to fall for Shouyou. Let’s try to work together on this.”

Before Kageyama can respond in any way, Kozume turns to face the café.

“I’m going to stay close for the time being,” he says, “but I would refrain from sharing what I just told you about The Intersect. The less people know, the better. See you.”

He walks off, leaving Kageyama alone in the darkened alleyway to contemplate everything he had just learned. 

Hinata can’t sleep. It’s been kind of a hellish day, from the headaches, to the failed date, to Kenma appearing right at the end of said date. He is happy that Kenma showed up of course, but, along with the palpable tension between him and Kageyama as all three of them ate the convenience store snacks and chatted in the café, there is something else bothering Hinata. He kicks at his sheets helplessly in a mini tantrum as he thinks about the information about Kageyama that had somehow flashed in his mind at the ramen shop.

His eyes stinging with fatigue, Hinata forces himself into a sitting position and grabs his phone. He opens up a web browser and types in the words “Karasuno Intelligence Agency.” Hinata isn’t sure what this will accomplish, but it seems stupid to fuss over something if it doesn’t even exist.

The search comes up with less than ten results. Scrolling through, Hinata decides that nothing seems legitimate, no government websites, not even a Wikipedia page. _So much for the name sounding familiar_, he thinks, all the while relaxing back into his headboard. He clicks on the top result just because, opening up a random post on Reddit under /r/discussion.

**posted by u/liesnspies469 2 years ago**

**Japan is recruiting college students to spy on you right now **

_If you know anyone who graduated or attended these Japanese universities in the past century, sever ties with them IMMEDIATELY: Kyoto University (rumored base of Johzenji Analytics, secret subdivision of The Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center), Aoyama Gakuin University (known base of The Dateko Technical Alliance, reports to unknown), Waseda University (known base of Karasuno Intelligence Agency, reports directly to the Domestic Division of The Japanese Cabinet of Intelligence)..._

Hinata stops reading at this point, having seen a shred of possibility that the Karasuno Intelligence Agency could exist in real life and not just in his head. He recalls learning about The Cabinet of Intelligence in high school, but nothing else really sparks any recognition. He throws the phone aside, leaning back and staring at the ceiling of his room.

It hadn’t been so long ago that Hinata was fumbling a latte and acting like a complete idiot just because Kageyama was _there_, right in front of him.

To Hinata, Kageyama is cool and seems like a hard worker, considering he’s always studying when he comes to the cafe. On the date earlier that night, Kageyama had worried more about Hinata’s well-being than getting laid or even eating his favorite meal. He had even stayed with Hinata when his freaking ex of all people walked into their lives. There is something about him that makes Hinata trust him, makes him feel like the two of them can do anything together. On top of all of that, Kageyama is gorgeous and a really good kisser…

_If Kageyama’s a secret agent, he can spy on me as much as he wants_, Hinata thinks with a small smirk.

With this thought, he lies back onto his pillows, closes his eyes, and sleeps until morning.

Kageyama spends the next few days either in class or at the café. He hadn’t dreamed that his first assignment with Karasuno would become so complicated, but after talking with Daichi the morning after Kozume’s reappearance, he had a bad feeling that this was nothing compared to what was coming.

“WHAT?” Daichi had said when Kageyama was finally able to set up a meet, this time at Kageyama’s studio apartment.

“Kozume’s back in Tokyo, I saw him last night in Hinata’s café,” Kageyama said with a hand on his face, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.

“So he just showed up, out of the blue, for a _visit_?”

“Apparently. He says he will be staying in town for a bit.”

“Where?”

“No idea.”

Daichi had groaned then, kneaded his forehead with his fingertips.

“I need a transcript of everything he said. And, I’ve gotta contact Ukai. What the hell is that little – does he even realize – ”

“There’s more,” Kageyama said before Daichi started to pace in front of the table. “He knows I’m with Karasuno.”

At this, Daichi had shut his mouth in a tight line, his left eyebrow twitching slightly. When he spoke, however, he sounded calm.

“He is supposed to be extremely observant. But I can't imagine – ”

“Me either,” Kageyama said grimly. “But he just knew.”

“Does Hinata know about you?”

“No.”

“Good. Keep it that way and stay alert about Kenma’s whereabouts.” Kageyama could have sworn he saw a vein throb in Daichi’s temple before he said, “Anything else I should know?”

Kageyama had paused for a fraction of a second before shaking his head. Daichi left straight for headquarters after that, letting him know he’d be in contact again in the next 24 hours with more instructions.

He has a feeling that not telling Daichi about Hinata having The Intersect would come back and bite him in the ass, but he knows that Kozume is right. The more people who know about it, the more danger Hinata is in.

So, for now, he keeps an eye on Hinata and just tries to get more info about Kenma, as instructed. The café is busy with a colorful crowd today – a family of tourists speaking German in the corner, a few huddles of students who seem to be working on a project together, and a group of girlfriends who are laughing about something with hands over their mouths.

When there’s a bit of downtime, Hinata takes a seat across from him and slides another cup of the Turkish blonde roast towards him.

“Thank you,” Kageyama says, looking up from his computer.

“Of course. What are you working on?” Hinata says.

“Research for my economics essay.”

This is not too far from the truth. Studying up on the leadership in Aoba Johsai Inc., aka The Seijoh Syndicate, isn’t exactly the run-of-the-mill economics topic, but it did have to do with business. Kageyama closes his computer to give Hinata his attention.

“How’s your day been?” Kageyama says.

“Fine. Busy, but it’s the good kind.” Hinata looks around at full tables and smiles. Kageyama smirks at him.

“Work-aholic.”

“So what?” Hinata says with a grin.

“Nothing.”

“Do you need something, Kageyama?” 

Kageyama puts up his hands in a weak defense, but continues to smirk all the same when Hinata meets his eyes.

“Hmm, well I guess we never did get to finish our date the other night,” Hinata continues looking slightly guilty. “Partly my fault.”

“I blame Kozume.” 

“Me too.” Hinata grins again, this time grabbing Kageyama’s hand in his.

“Want to try again tonight?”

Hinata nods fervently and Kageyama feels his stomach do back flips. He hadn’t been this close to Hinata since the night of their date, when he was having the splitting migraines.

“We can go to my place,” Kageyama says. “I’ll rent a movie, order pizza, and we can just… hang out.”

“Perfect. I’ll tell Kenma.”

Kageyama feels his stomach drop immediately at the mention of Kozume's name, watching Hinata take out his cell and type up a message.

“Uh,” Kageyama says.

“Relax, I’m just telling him I won’t be home until super late.”

“Is he your mom or something?”

“I thought I told you – he’s staying with me for a little bit!”

Kageyama is floored. He can’t believe Kozume would put more of a target on Hinata’s back by choosing to stay there.

“What,” he says, feeling his stomach drop further.

Hinata eyes him with slight exasperation, not missing the tone. But the bell on the door tinkles as another customer enters, causing Hinata to stand up and place a firm hand on Kageyama’s shoulder.

“Don’t be jealous Kageyama!” Hinata says. “Kenma just needs a place to crash right now.”

Not wanting to make a huge deal out of it, Kageyama settles on muttering about how it’s convenient that Kozume hasn’t called in ages and now he shows up when he needs something. At this, Hinata kisses him quickly.

“You’re sweet to think of me,” Hinata says, face slightly rosy with embarrassment. “But he’s my friend. I’m not going to turn him away.”

Kageyama grumbles again, but shoots a look at Hinata as if to say, “Fine.”

“I’ll see you after I close?”

Kageyama nods, allowing Hinata to skip away and shout a welcome to the customer.

_Stupid Kozume,_ Kageyama thinks fervently. _At least I know where you are now. _

He watches Hinata for a little bit as he talks to the customer, pointing at the sign above his head and indicating his favorite selections for the day. Kageyama cannot explain at all how drawn he is to Hinata. Even if Hinata blushes and stammers all too easily, there's this tenacity behind his worth ethic and ambitions for the cafe that makes him even more appealing. Along with that, it just feels _good_ to be familiar with Hinata, even if it’s just pretend. Hell, he already has a hard time even remembering it’s all pretend, sometimes even wishes it weren’t pretend at all.

What _would_ Hinata say if he told him he was a spy? Kageyama knows he would feel relieved for himself. It might even feel better to have Hinata angry and not want anything to do with him, since the alternative reality in which he currently lives is that Hinata doesn’t know the full truth of what is going on.

Kageyama groans audibly at the thought, causing Hinata to look up from the latte he is pouring, his head tilted slightly in question. Kageyama shoots a small smile at him to let him know everything is ok, even though things really, truly aren’t.

Hinata is getting ready to close the café by himself. He had given Yamaguchi the night off since he covered for him on those couple of days with phone issues and migraines. Those had been weird days, but things are starting to feel normal again. Along with that, Hinata is trying to take Yamaguchi’s suggestion to have fun more seriously. Even though the café is still taking up a lot of his time, having Kenma over as a guest at his flat and his thing with Kageyama (whatever it is) are definitely helping with this.

Hinata thinks about his plans for the rest of the night while he starts putting coffee mugs away. Kageyama’s evening class would end soon, and he’d promised a movie night for them.

_In Kageyama’s apartment, _Hinata think._ Dot, dot, dot_. He hums along with the café music and straightens out the kitchen, thinking about all the possibilities the night had in store.

The café is blessedly calm after another busy day. As he enters the floor to wipe down tables, he thinks about how the now-empty seats surrounding him had all fulfilled their purpose at least once today. His heart swells with pride. The café isn’t in the green yet, but Hinata is not exactly upset about it anymore. Yamaguchi had helped him see the positive side of that little bit of red they were seeing each month.

Hinata starts to wipe down the first table nearest the door, but his happy thoughts are interrupted when he spies someone peering around the closed blinds in the window.

_Might as well, _he thinks to himself. Hinata smiles brightly and waves the man inside, even though the café’s clearly not open.

“Lucky I forgot to lock the door,” he says as his decidedly last customer for the day enters.

“Pardon the intrusion. And thank you,” the man says in a soft voice. He is wearing a black overcoat, a dark blue suit, and is holding a leather briefcase. “I could really use the caffeine boost.”

“No problem! Late night planned?” Hinata says.

“Yes, very.”

Hinata studies the man as he looks over their menu. He seems very charming, actually. The business clothing, along with his nice manner of speaking and perfectly coifed brown hair, gives Hinata the distinct impression of success. After the man selects an English dark roast, Hinata sets to work.

“Have a seat, I’ll be right there.”

“Thank you.” The man takes his overcoat off and draws it over the back of one of the chairs. Hinata sees him peer around the café, stopping to admire the hanging plants near the window.

“Are you the owner?” the man says, looking over at Hinata who is pouring boiling water over coffee grounds.

Hinata nods, causing the stranger to smile.

“I can tell. Excuse me for the weird phrasing, but the café looks like your own creation.”

Hinata blushes slightly at this and busies himself with pouring the coffee into a mug. He brings it over, setting it down in front of the smiling stranger.

“I do have one question though,” the man says, accepting the mug and lifting it up to his face. “Why name your café for crows?”

“Crows are scrappy and tough… which I kind of like. It’s also something that comes from my childhood.”

Hinata rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment, unable to think of anything further to say without going into the long boring details of his high school volleyball days. The man appraises him after taking a long swig of coffee.

“Childhood?”

“My mascot at my school was a crow. It was this whole thing when I played volleyball.”

“Hmm. And you grew up in Miyagi?”

“Well, yes,” Hinata says, dropping his hand and looking at the man with renewed curiosity. “How did you know?”

The man doesn’t answer. He takes another sip of coffee and sets the mug down, eyes sharply focused on Hinata.

“Just a bit of research. So, how _exactly_ is business going at the Crow’s Café?”

The man’s tone is still polite, but Hinata feels a sort of challenge behind the words. This makes it very obvious that the man isn’t here just for coffee and Hinata’s not just going to let himself be bullied. He takes a seat across from the man, who is drinking more of his coffee.

“What can I do for you?” Hinata says in as business-like a tone as he can muster. The man’s eyes glint in a cunning way, making Hinata’s stomach squirm with nerves.

“You’re sharp. I’ll cut to the chase: I see a good business opportunity in your café, so I’m here to proposition you.”

“Proposition me?”

“Let’s put this another way,” the man says, setting down his mug. “I’m rich.”

Hinata stares. _Okay, _he thinks,_ but what does that have to do with_ –

“When I hear about popular new establishments in the city, I do my research, weigh pros and cons, etcetera. Then, hopefully, I can make an investment.”

“So, you want to make an investment. In the café?”

“In _you_ actually. People talk. Well, they say that they’ve heard you talk anyways.”

“About what?”

“About your ambitions to come here all the way from your small town and start this little café in the big city. I like a young man who can forge ahead on their own and try something completely new.”

Hinata feels his cheeks warm with embarrassment. It kind of sounded like the man was talking down to him. Almost. But he also couldn’t help but feel proud that someone was acknowledging the café and his work behind it.

“I think that kind of _scrappiness_ is worth an investment of money, of mentorship, even,” the man continues. “Think of what we could do together. Hire more staff, offer more menu selections… we could even open more cafés like this in other parts of the city.”

Hinata stares intently at the warm brown eyes across from him, waiting. The man shrugs, then downs the rest of his coffee, which Hinata notices is still quite steaming. He stands up to remove his coat from the chair.

“350 yen for the coffee, correct?”

“It’s on the house,” Hinata says lifting his chin to stare up at the man.

The man smiles at this. He takes out a small leather wallet and puts a business card down next to his empty coffee cup. 

“I’ll let you do a little research if you like. Think about what kind of things you’d want to explore,” the man says, “but do give me a call soon. I don’t like being kept waiting.” 

Hinata watches him walk out the door, briefcase and all. He looks at the table and snatches the card up in front of his eyes.

_Aoba Johsai Inc.,Consulting and Investment Firm_

_Oikawa Tooru, Associate Partner_

As soon as Hinata’s eyes sweep over the man’s name, he gets a flash of information, the first one since he learned about The Karasuno Intelligence Agency.

</oikawa tooru ><p>born july 20<p>current associate partner at aoba johsai incorporated aka the seijoh syndicate<h1>past associations:unknown>>>>

At this, Hinata leans back in his chair. He had never heard of either Aoba Johsai or the Seijoh Syndicate before tonight. He massages his temples, sore from the intake of information.

_It’s definitely possible that trying to have it all is making me go insane_, Hinata thinks, remembering that the flashes started on the day he decided to go on a date with Kageyama. _And speaking of… _

Hinata sees Kageyama try the door of the café at that moment. Hinata smiles, remembering again what they have planned for the night. He gets up to lock the door behind his date and greet him with a kiss.

“Nice to see you too,” Kageyama says. “Busy night?”

“Kinda.”

“Ready to go?”

Remembering that he didn’t wipe down the tables, Hinata slips Oikawa’s card into his pocket and decides not to worry about it for the time being. Business hours are officially over, after all.

“Definitely,” he says. He stops the music, kills the lights, and grabs Kageyama’s hand, moonlight shining through the cracks in the blinds. They pass through the back to grab Hinata’s stuff and exit through the kitchen door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma contemplates things, Hinata and Kageyama Netflix and chill (jk there's no Netflix involved), we get a bit of Oikawa's POV, and secrets are spilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I wanted to finish this in early October? HAHAHAHAAH
> 
> Anyways. Thanks for waiting, and here we go again :)

Kenma is working. Or, trying to at least. Sitting on the couch of Shouyou’s apartment, he stares at an ominous blue screen on his best friend’s laptop. The Intersect had fried the computer in question, but of course, Shouyou had no idea about this. Under the guise of working remotely, Kenma had promised to take a look at the computer during the day. 

Shouyou has a busy life, one that Kenma had been content to sit back from, and not necessarily from the need to stay incognito. In fact, Kenma had relished in the quiet of the apartment the past few days. He played video games, worked on some ideas for future projects, and kept an eye on the dark web for anything remotely related to Seijoh. Tonight, however, Kenma does feel a bit lonely knowing Shouyou isn’t coming back until late because of his date. _ If he comes back at all _, he thinks to himself, punching another button on the dying computer with his finger. 

Kenma is sure that the particular make and model of Shouyou's computer (four years old by his count) will not survive any restoration attempts. But he isn’t a top tech programmer at Nekoma for nothing. If he takes a look inside, he might be able to see if the can replace some key parts in the hardware.

He extracts a tool kit from his pack and unscrews the little bolts along the edges of the bottom plate. He’s about to crack it open when he hears a chime on his secure phone. 

Kuroo: You’re back. 

Kenma stares at the message and sighs. It isn’t a surprise that Kuroo knows, but he had hoped he could last a week without him finding out. 

Kuroo had always been well-connected with Karasuno, since Nekoma’s covert tech division worked with them frequently. He was the one who actually proposed testing the Intersect with Karasuno agents, and had frequent meetings with some lower level agents about the project before Kenma went missing. 

Kuroo: You didn’t think to stop by? 

Kenma: It’s not safe

Kuroo: When will it be safe?

Kenma: You know as well as I do

Kuroo: So not for like 10000000 years

Kenma: You’re so dramatic

Kuroo: You would be too if your boyfriend went off the grid for a month instead of doing the sensible thing and allowing the authorities to help

Kenma: You act like this is easy for me

Kuroo: … I’m sorry. I’m a dick

Kenma: You’re worried

Kuroo: Yes

Kenma: I’m sorry too

Kuroo: I’ll survive. If you need anything, you know where to find me 

Kenma puts the phone away, feeling worse. He looks out of the small windows. He could only see the next building, a white brick wall shielding any sort of view from the occupants. It would take around twenty minutes to walk from Shouyou’s flat to the one he shared with Kuroo. But that wasn’t really an option at the moment. It’s possible that Seijoh’s threat was just a scare tactic, but Kenma knows enough about them to be sure that they are still looking for him. The first place they’d have under surveillance would be his home.

With this thought, Kenma sighs and starts to put the computer back together. It seemed ridiculous to consider that he’d be able to waltz into a store to grab some parts for Shouyou, or even make a purchase online without it being a giant red flag. Shouyou would just have to get another one. And honestly , Kenma thinks to himself looking at the clunky, obsolete thing in his hands, he could use it . He flops back on the couch with a sigh, the computer lying closed next to him. 

Kenma had been sure coming back to Tokyo was the right thing to do. This would especially be the case if Shouyou started to realize something was wrong with his head. Kenma wanted to be here to explain, to help, but Kageyama had shaken his confidence in the plan. Had it been just too reckless to involve Shouyou at all? It had seemed like a good idea at the time. But Kageyama had made him doubt himself a tiny bit. 

_ I’m handling this myself and it will go as planned _, Kenma thinks firmly. And speaking of Kageyama. He turns his thoughts instead to the Karasuno agent he didn’t expect to meet anytime soon. Kenma had kept tabs on the people in the agency and was surprised that a new agent was assigned to keep watch over Hinata. 

Kenma had also noticed something interesting about this particular agent. He remembers Kageyama’s quick anger about the Intersect's current location, as well as the way Kageyama stared at Shouyou in the café.

_Wonder how that will turn out_, Kenma thinks idly. He turns to grab his Switch from his pack and tries to keep his mind off of things before falling asleep where he lay. 

After leaving the cafe and grabbing a deluxe pizza with extra tomato sauce, Kageyama leads Hinata to his building. When he lets Hinata into his studio, he can’t help but watch fondly as his date instantly kicks his shoes off and flits around, exploring every inch of the place. He sits at the kitchen table, stares at the posters above Kageyama’s bed, and even sticks his head behind the bathroom door. 

“This is so nice,” Hinata says. He rushes to the wide window, the curtains still open from this morning, and presses both hands on the glass. “You can see Tokyo Tower from here too!” 

Kageyama places the pizza on the kitchen counter, then moves to stand next to Hinata, the heat from his hands and face starting to cloud the glass. As Hinata pulls back from the window to admire the view once more, Kageyama puts his arm around Hinata’s small shoulders. He jolts a little, but doesn’t object otherwise. 

“Do you like living alone?” he says, turning his head to look at Kageyama. 

“Sometimes. It’s nice to have my own space, but it can be lonely.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re not alone all the time anyways.” 

Kageyama tilts his head to the side in contemplation. He can’t fathom what Hinata means, and looks down at him, noticing yet another blush rising high on his cheeks. 

“I mean!” Hinata forces out a laugh. “You must have a lot of friends or... go on dates...”

At this, Kageyama feels his own blood rush to his face and ears. _ He’s gotta be joking _, Kageyama thinks to himself, gazing at Hinata, whose eyes are darting from the corner of the room to his lips. Is he nervous? Then it hits Kageyama. They’re alone, finally, after all the days they couldn’t get away from everything else. The air is suddenly thick, Hinata’s shifting underneath his arm, and the realization causes Kageyama to huff an exasperated laugh. 

“Idiot,” Kageyama says, leaning down and tucking a finger under Hinata’s chin. 

Scarlet red now, Hinata lets out a small squeak when Kageyama kisses him full on the mouth, sweet and long. Breaking the kiss, Kageyama blinks at Hinata, reminded of the stolen hours the two of them spent in the closed cafe when they first met. Moments before that, they had been talking about ex-boyfriends and destiny, and even then Kageyama knew that Hinata was more than what he seemed, someone who could surprise and entice him in a way no one else could. 

They say nothing else, and Kageyama kisses him again, mouth moving slowly and deliberately. Hinata melts, lips parting to let him in, no longer stiff or nervous, and Kageyama runs hands along his sides, pulling him close enough so that their hips are bumping up together. He glides his hands up Hinata’s back, brushing his shoulders and neck, before cupping them around the sides of his face. He uses the position to lick into Hinata’s mouth at every angle, totally in control of his movements. Hinata sighs at a gentle tug on his bottom lip, as if stepping into a hot bath.

Kageyama’s little sense of sanity tells him that kissing and flirting and all this stuff are all things done to gain an asset’s trust. It’s all about power dynamics, even allowing yourself to be a little vulnerable, but not enough to compromise yourself. You need to have control over the situation. But Kageyama decides that sanity can screw itself as he feels Hinata’s hands clamp onto his waist and push him in the direction of the bed. Kageyama breaks the kiss to spin them and shove Hinata onto the mattress, his small face wild with laughter, chest heaving as he sucks in as many breaths as he can. Kageyama crawls over him, planting hands firmly on either side of Hinata’s head. 

They’re not at the café, they’re not talking with exes, or on a mission. Kageyama just wants to feel Hinata as close to him as possible. He kisses his forehead, each cheek, and then moves down to pepper kisses on his neck, pressing himself against the smaller body beneath, running hands underneath Hinata’s t-shirt, feeling the needy grasp of Hinata’s hands on his own waist. 

“Hey, Kageyama,” Hinata breathes into his ear. Kageyama stills, listening. “What about pizza?”

Kageyama looks at Hinata’s face, wondering for the second time in the last five minutes if he’s serious or not. And of course, the lunatic is smiling as if he can’t believe he’s here, an expression that’s slightly punch-drunk and dazed. 

Kageyama says nothing, instead choosing a spot on Hinata’s neck and blowing a loud raspberry. Hinata squeals with laughter, pushing Kageyama away and rolling them both over with surprising strength so that he was on top. 

“I guess it can wait,” Hinata says, eyes bright and mouth lifted in a teasing smile. It all makes the heat in Kageyama’s gut and chest expand to nuclear levels. He’s lost in the wild tresses of orange hair, wide hazel eyes, the pink flush painting perfect cheekbones. 

The universe had eternally and irrevocably screwed Kageyama over by colliding him together with Hinata. The fact that this is all supposed to be pretend is far from Kageyama's mind as Hinata leans down to nuzzle Kageyama’s nose with his own. 

_ I am so fucked_, Kageyama thinks as Hinata’s mouth meets his once more. He allows himself to get lost in Hinata’s searing kiss, and the next one, and the next. 

Very early the next morning, Oikawa sits in his office at Aoba Johsai, Inc. With a perfect view of Tokyo Station from his window, his favorite thing had always been to enjoy a cup of tea and a bit of quiet while watching people spill from the doors of the red brick station. He sits with a cup of black tea now, his back turned from his office door, contemplating his meeting last night. 

Talking with the owner of The Crow’s Café had been quite successful, in his humble opinion. Though he had been casing the place and Hinata for over a month, Oikawa actually hadn’t even planned on talking to anyone – he just wanted to check out the café after business hours to get a feel for the place. However, he had been surprised by Hinata’s invitation inside, as well as the Hinata’s mere presence. The boy was smarter than he let on, and was naturally charismatic in a way that Oikawa didn’t really want to admit. Though Oikawa was interested in Hinata and the café to obtain access to a certain covert intelligence program, he could see why business had been good. 

As much as sharing business tactics and analyzing data for legitimate companies had raked in business, Oikawa found immense satisfaction in dealing with buyers and sellers in the Seijoh division. He liked to think it was work that required a bit more finesse and intelligence, a more delicate touch. 

The little affairs between a husband and wife, the scrupulous behavior of a certain head of security… any small dirty secret could bring a whole government to its knees. Oikawa relished in it and was determined to have the Intersect brought into Seijoh as the ultimate source of information. 

As Oikawa watches more people emerge from the station like a line of ants, he hears footsteps behind him. Whoever it is enters his office without so much as a knock. 

“What did you do,” an extremely familiar voice says from behind him. It’s not as much as question, as a slightly exasperated statement of fact. 

Oikawa doesn’t turn around, but sips his tea, waiting for Iwaizumi to catch his breath a little bit. He had predicted that his business associate wouldn’t approve of his meeting with Hinata (right away at least), but Iwaizumi rarely approved of anything Oikawa did. 

“Iwa-chan, don’t seem so surprised. I am, of course, on the hunt for more investment opportunities in the city.” 

“Idiot,” Iwaizumi says, moving to stand next to Oikawa and look out the window along with him, arms crossed. “We both know that it was more than that.” 

Oikawa scoffs at this, setting down his tea on the desk behind him. When he finally turns his head to glance at Iwaizumi, the man chooses to stare daggers at the windows rather than meet his gaze. 

“It actually is a very good opportunity,” Oikawa says, his voice steady. He turns to face the window. “The café is doing very well, according to my sources. I predict that little place will be making a profit in four months, give or take.” 

“It is quite incredible,” Iwaizumi concedes. “But you know that we’re not supposed to touch this one. Irihata-san said – ”

Oikawa stands up abruptly, interrupting Iwaizumi to knock back the rest of his tea, still piping hot. He doesn’t want to be reminded of his mistake from just a few weeks ago, when he threatened to the creator of The Intersect. In his mind, sending Kozume the super sketchy pictures of him and his boyfriend walking back home from work hadn’t seemed like a totally horrible thing to do. However, the thing backfired on him when he heard that Kozume went missing. 

“Irihata-san said,” Iwaizumi continues, “that you were taking things too far too fast.” 

“If I remember correctly, he said that I need to cool off,” Oikawa says, turning from his tea cup to look at Iwaizumi with what he hoped was an intimidating and confident face of defiance, “and I’ve cooled off now.” 

“Were you ever cool to begin with?” 

“Iwa-chan!” 

Iwaizumi sighs, finally looking back at Oikawa. His arms are still crossed, but the tension in them seems to have melted very slightly. 

“I’m annoyed you didn’t tell me what you were doing,” he says. “You know that Karasuno is involved with this, and you went there without telling anyone and without any backup.” 

“I didn’t need back-up, the little shrimp was alone and he’s the one who invited me in. He even gave me free coffee!” 

Iwaizumi sighs. He turns on his heel to leave the room, stopping at the door before exiting. 

“Are you even going to tell Irihata what we’re doing?” 

“We?” 

“Of course, Shittykawa.” 

Oikawa smiles. That was quick. “He’s never needed to know before,” he says. 

“As long as we get results,” Iwaizumi says. “Fine. But no more secret outings.” 

Oikawa doesn’t respond to the retreating Iwaizumi. He turns back to the window, and takes a deep breath. Everything is falling into place. 

Hinata sneaks out of Kageyama’s apartment in the morning, wanting to stop by his flat before heading to the cafe. On the walk home, he sends a quick message to Yamaguchi. 

Hinata: Im coming in a bit late this morning. cover for me again? sorry 

Yamaguchi: fine. but you better tell me EVERYTHING

Hinata can’t help but smile as he pockets his phone and runs down the last block to his building. The streets are quiet and there are hardly any passerby, but he thinks he spies the beginnings of a sunrise in the sky as it grows more light. Last night had been… awesome, to say the least. He can’t believe that he had been considering not dating Kageyama just a week ago. 

He runs up the stairs at a sprint, feeling giddy, as if he has all the energy in the world. He does his best to keep it to himself when he enters the apartment and sees Kenma fast asleep on the couch. Though Hinata carefully shuts the door with a click, Kenma jolts at the noise, sitting straight up and looking over to see who’s entered the apartment. 

“Welcome home,” Kenma says, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?” 

“Sorry, it’s the morning. Were you worried?” 

“No, I kind of assumed you wouldn’t be back.” Kenma smiles at him in a knowing way. “Did you have a good date?” 

Hinata nods. “How are you doing? Can I make you coffee before I go?” 

“Sure, if you have time.” 

“Of course! I feel bad that I’ve been neglecting you.” 

“Don’t.” Kenma stands up, stretching his arms in the air. “You know I can’t keep up with your lifestyle.” 

Hinata laughs and sets to work, while Kenma takes a seat at the small table in his kitchen. He puts the kettle on and then turns to stare at Kenma, who eyes him wearily. 

“Go on,” Kenma says. “I know you’re dying to tell me.” 

Hinata hugs Kenma tightly before speaking rapidly. 

“The date was the best! We got pizza and Kageyama is so sweet and I really like him and he’s a great kisser. We wanted to watch a movie, I wasn’t sure what, but we kind of didn’t get to it...” 

Hinata trails off for a moment, wondering if Kenma would really want to hear this part. Avoiding his gaze, Hinata gets up as the kettle starts to whistle, taking a bag of coffee out from a cabinet. 

“How is work going?” Kenma says, blessedly changing the subject as he takes out his phone and starts to play a game. 

“Good! Business as usual, you know. Oh! And!” Hinata starts to remember something else from last night. “I think the café has a potential investor.” 

“That’s great, Shouyou,” Kenma says. “Who’s the investor?” 

Reaching into his pocket, Hinata pulls out the card he’d received last night. He hadn’t thought much about it after Kageyema picked him up last night.

“It’s this guy… Oikawa Tooru,” Hinata reads from the card. He hands the card over to Kenma, who takes it slowly. “He seems like a bigshot, and he works for this consulting company called Aoba Johsai. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Kageyama reading about the company for his business classes.” 

Kenma doesn’t speak for a moment, putting the card down next to him as his game starts to load. Hinata scoops some coffee grounds into his French press, the music from the game punctuating the prolonged silence. 

“I’ve heard of them,” Kenma says finally. “That would be a big deal.” 

“Really?” Hinata says, turning slightly to look at him. “I was thinking that, but I wasn’t quite sure about the whole thing. The business seems reputable, but I got the sense that the guy was hiding something.” 

“You met Oikawa in person?” Kenma says, eyes flicking towards Hinata's for a second.

“He stopped by the café last night. After I closed,” Hinata adds, turning back to pour a tiny bit of hot water onto the grounds. “I just thought, hey, there’s a guy who wants coffee. Then he said he’d been doing research on me, and that he wanted to invest in my talent or something.” 

He had been distracted by his upcoming date at the time, but Hinata suddenly remembers how Oikawa had him on edge from the moment he started asking questions about the café. Then there was the whole Seijoh thing that suddenly popped in his head.

“Did anything else happen?” Kenma says. 

“No. But…”

“But what?”

Hinata pauses, watching the steam cloud the glass of the French press. Now that he is trying to tell someone about the strange phenomenon that had been plaguing him for the past week, the words seemed to have dried up in his throat. 

“Something strange has been happening to me,” Hinata says slowly, turning to sit at the table with Kenma. He looks at Kenma again to get a reaction, but of course, the game in his hands is getting a bit more attention. 

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Hinata tries again. “But I feel like I’m going a bit crazy. My mind is somehow telling me things that I’ve never heard of before.” 

“How so?” 

“Like. I’ll look at something, and suddenly, a stream of words will be in my head about the person or about something they’re part of. And it’s all weird stuff. Like things about governments or businesses or other stuff” 

“And this happened with Oikawa?” 

“Yeah. He didn’t mention the words to me, but I suddenly knew that he was part of ‘The Seijoh Syndicate.’ Do you know what that is?” 

Hinata waits on bated breath, watching Kenma press more buttons for his game.

“Yes,” Kenma says. “I do know a bit about the Seijoh Syndicate.”

“Really?” Hinata says, a touch relieved that he wasn’t going nuts. “What is it? What’s the Seijoh Syndicate?” 

“The Seijoh Syndicate is allegedly the a black market subdivision of Aoba Johsai, the company Oikawa works for. They’re supposed to specialize in mining secrets or covert intelligence. They use whatever knowledge they can get so companies or governments can have leverage over the other.” 

Hinata stares, eyes on the crown of Kenma’s head as he’s leaned down to stare at his phone. 

“What do you mean about the covert intelligence thing?” he says. 

“Basically, they steal or threaten others with information. Rather than being good businessmen, I mean.” 

“But, you just said it’s not real, right?” Hinata says. 

“Not exactly. No one has caught them at it, but they succeed in business dealings way too often. That, along with rumors on the dark web about Oikawa and his men, makes it seem quite plausible that the division exists within Aoba Johsai’s inner network.” 

Hinata notices Kenma’s hands push the buttons a bit more forcefully at these words. 

“So... is it real?" Hinata says.

"As far as the world is concerned, no. But there are rumors."

"But Aoba Johsai is definitely shady." 

“Yes.”

“And that I shouldn’t work with Oikawa.” 

“Yes.” 

“Okay, great,” Hinata says. “I was on the fence about that anyways.” 

Hinata cradles his head in his open palms, allowing the realization to wash over him. So Seijoh is a thing. It’s nice to know that he isn’t going totally insane, but Hinata still doesn’t feel satisfied. Feeling Kenma’s eyes on him for a brief moment, he stands up and throws his hands up in frustration.

“So why do I know about Seijoh?” he bursts out. “I’d never heard of Aoba Johsai before in my life, and now I suddenly know that Oikawa is affiliated with this illegal Seijoh thing that doesn’t seem to exist, but somehow you know about and you seem tense and I don’t get it! And then there was the whole thing with Kageyama…” 

“What about him?” Kenma asks in a sharp voice, now ignoring his game and gazing at Hinata from his seat. 

“So, when I looked at Oikawa’s card, I just knew he was part of Seijoh, right? The words just appeared in my head.” Hinata says, still trying to wrap his mind around things. “The same thing happened when I saw Kageyama’s student ID the other night, except it said he was part of this thing called the Karasuno Intelligence Agency.” 

Kenma pauses his game with a sigh. This felt monumental, as Kenma usually never paused a game while talking with him. The gesture makes Hinata feel as though all the air had been sucked out of the room. Though he feels a pang of relief about finally saying all this stuff out loud, he can tell that something is not right. 

“Shouyou,” Kenma says, looking him straight in the eyes. “I need to tell you some things.” 

Kenma puts his phone away and takes his hand, urging him to sit down beside him, the half-done coffee forgotten behind them. It is silent in Hinata’s apartment, save for Kenma’s soft voice and the distant sounds of honking cars in the city. 

In the sunny courtyard of Waseda college, Kageyama stops to check his phone for the fifteenth time. He's been in classes all morning, just finally having finished in the early afternoon. He sighs when he sees no new messages, then moves out of the pathway as people brush past him to get to their classes. 

Sitting down on a metal bench, Kageyama contemplates how this day had became one of constant worry and anxiety. Though last night’s date was still fresh in Kageyama’s mind - the feel of Hinata’s lips on his, laughing with him, the warmth they shared as they tangled their legs together under the covers of his bed - Kageyama felt that he hadn’t seen Hinata in days. 

Kageyama had never really been in love, but he feels like this is what it might be like.

_ Damnit_, he thinks, fisting his hair in both hands. He thinks that he must look deranged, must be attracting worried stares, but he doesn’t care. 

Why did this happen to him? During his training with Karasuno, he had learned that many spy cliches are true. Spies always have a weapon within ten feet of them wherever they are, secret elevators to underground bases are totally real, spies have access to all sorts of crazy weapons and have all the information at their fingertips, and, most terrifying of all, spies do fall in love with people they’re not supposed to. 

Maybe it would have been okay if Hinata was just a throwaway asset, but the fact that he downloaded the Intersect makes him much more important in successfully closing this case. Kageyama wishes that Kozume hadn’t told him that bit of information, that he was blissfully unaware of the danger that Hinata was in. 

Just as Kageyama stands up and contemplates jumping off a cliff, his phone rings. He glances at the caller ID before picking up the line. 

“Daichi,” Kageyama says. 

“Hey, Kageyama. How’s it going?” 

“It’s… fine.” 

“Is it?” Daichi has a hint of a smile in his voice as he says this. “You sound terrible.” 

“I’m fine.” 

“Okay, if you say so. Anyways, I just got out of a meeting with Ukai. He wants to have Kozume moved to a safe house.” 

Kageyama feels himself frown. Kozume wasn’t exactly the one that needed protection, but Daichi didn’t know that. Kozume would have to be the one who spilled the beans to the rest of Karasuno about that. 

“Kageyama? Are you there?” 

“Yes, sorry.” 

“Kozume made you, right? He knows you’re with us?” 

“Yes,” Kageyama says.

“You’ll need to relay the plan somehow. We plan to move him from Hinata’s place at 2100 tonight.” 

“Tonight?” 

“Yes,” Daichi says in a slightly exasperated tone. “Didn’t you review the security docs I sent you this morning?” 

“I didn’t have time.” 

“Read the emails, Kageyama. And call me back when you set things up with Kozume.” 

Daichi hangs up then, leaving Kageyama standing in the middle of the walkway, totally frozen. Swiping furiously on the touch screen of his phone, Kageyama pulls up the security email Daichi was talking about and looks at the pictures attached. In them, he can clearly see Oikawa Tooru of Seijoh entering the cafe at Hinata's beckoning. In a few other pictures, Hinata is making coffee while Oikawa looks on, and in later ones, both of the men are sitting at one of the tables. Hinata's expression is somewhat serious in these ones. 

"Shit," Kageyama says loudly, pocketing the phone and running in the direction of the nearest train station. 

The arrival of Oikawa at the cafe isn’t just deeply troubling. It means that Hinata, _ his _ Hinata, is in the line of fire. 

Kageyama had started this mission with the knowledge that he'd have to cut himself off from Hinata as an asset eventually. Whether it had been two hours or two years, he always knew that he'd have to burn this asset, he always knew that he wouldn’t be part of Hinata’s life forever. But this new information, the idea of a dangerous Oikawa having secret meetings with Hinata, sends Kageyama into panic mode. He doesn't want to be rid of Hinata, he doesn't want to burn him. Hinata needs protection, and in order to do that, Kageyama would have to tell him everything.

Kageyama doesn’t have time to be nervous, to wonder if Hinata will accept his words, to forgive him, but his insides twist up at the thought as he enters the next train, foot tapping incessantly as it takes him towards Shibuya Station. When the train arrives, he pushes through the crowds and sprints down a familiar alleyway. 

When he spies Hinata through the window at the Crow’s Cafe, just like he did that first day they met, he steels himself with a quick breath. The cafe owner is working as usual, a sunny smile on his face as he accepts payment from a customer on a little black tray. A bell tinkles as Kageyama opens the door and enters. He is instantly comforted by the smell of rich coffee, the cheerful pop music emitting from the speakers. 

But the warmth of the cafe instantly turns cold when Kageyama looks towards the counter. Hinata is staring at him, not with the usual easy smile and blush, but with wide, fearful eyes. This makes the back of Kageyama's neck prickle with unease, and he is stunned by the sudden, nauseating realization that everything between them has irrevocably changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on twitter - @froochies

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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